The present invention relates to a yarn winding apparatus of the type having a rotatable turret or revolver which mounts a pair of winding spindles, and wherein the spindles are serially delivered to a winding position and a doffing position as the revolver is sequentially rotated.
Winding machines of the above-described type commonly employ a contact roll which is positioned to rest upon the package being formed on the spindle at the winding position. Also, designs are known wherein the revolver is rotated to provide relative movement between the contact roll and the winding spindle as the package diameter builds, note for example, EP-A 374536 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,762.
In such a yarn winding apparatus, it is necessary, at the end of a winding cycle, to remove the full packages from the idle spindle and to replace them with new empty tubes, since the yarn advances continuously.
A compact type of construction is attempted for the package revolver. This means that the two winding spindles are to be brought together as closely as possible. As a result, there is the risk that the rapidly increasing package enlarges toward the fully wound, yet to be doffed package and destroys the winding head.
On the other hand, a certain doffing time is required to remove the full packages and to insert empty tubes onto the doffed winding spindles.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method, in which an adequate doffing time is always available, despite the narrow spacing between the winding spindles, for replacing the full packages with empty tubes.